Search results (tags) for: "seller help in the virtual labs"

Prep Your Shop for the Holiday Rush: 2009 Seller Workshops

2009-09-24T10:29:00-05:00

Looking at the upcoming calendar can be a daunting prospect for Etsy sellers this time of year. If you're wondering how to optimize your shop to appeal to the coming influx of holiday shoppers, you're in luck! We've created a series of live workshops in our Virtual Labs, hosted by your fellow Etsy sellers and Etsy Admin. We'll talk about everything from developing the perfect gifts that will fly off your virtual shelves, to making sure you're prepared to ship all of those items.

These workshops are sure to whip you into shape for the holidays! Most will be held on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET in Etsy's Virtual Labs. Core tips from these sessions will also be shared in the Etsy Success newsletters, so be sure to sign up here.

Wondering how our online workshops work? Have a look at this blog post to get a quick understanding of Etsy's Virtual Labs.

Sept. 24, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Product Development and Photography

Hosts: Daniellexo & MaryMary

Topics covered:

Product development brainstorming session
Colors and styles that will be hot this season
Tips for photography and tagging from a merchandising expert

For more info, check out these posts on creating great products.

Sept. 28, 2009 at 9 p.m. ET

Creative Ways to Gain Exposure

Host: Amy from Pikaland

Brilliant ways to gain exposure
Building a solid reputation
Start thinking outside the box!

Recommended reading: Creativity, Competition and Copycats by Pikaland.

Sept 30, 2009 at 8:00pm ET

Oct 1, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Oct. 1, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. ET

Bigger Than a Breadbox: Photography for Medium to Large Items

Host: Amby from JulipBags

For more info on JulipBags, check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Photography for 2-D Artists

JenKiaba will cover taking photos of paintings, prints, collages and drawings.

Jewelry Photographing for Etsy

Host: Rhonda from ProlifiqueJewelry

For more info on ProlifiqueJewelry, check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Oct. 8, 2009 at 5 p.m. ET

How to survive your first Holiday Season on Etsy

Host: Aja from SagittariusGallery

Topics covered:

Question and Answer session for newbies
Making your first sales on Etsy
Lots of tips and insights for your first holiday season

Check out SagittariusGallery's Ultimate Newbie Guide.

Oct. 15, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Tagging, Titles and Descriptions

Hosts: Daniellexo, HeyMichelle, MaryMary, JulieinCharge

Topics covered:

Using tags to get noticed
Creative descriptions to woo buyers
Optimizing tagging, titles and descriptions for SEO

Recommended reading: Guidelines and Tips to Tagging on Etsy.

Oct. 22, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Promo Mojo: Get Recognized This Season

Host: Jen from JStephens13

Topics Covered:

Spice up your shop
How to coordinate your look and get recognized
A complete look, from your shop banner to your packaging
Etsy friends who can help
Where to get labels, banners, tech help and packaging
How to get the word out there

For more info on JStephens13 check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Oct. 29, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Brown Paper Packages Tied up With String

Host: Kristal from RikRak

Topics covered:

Beautiful, budget-savvy, eco-friendly DIY packaging ideas
How to make a great first impression with your package
How to efficiently organize your packaging supplies
Packaging and shipping materials and shop branding

For more info on RikRak check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Nov. 5, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Shipping Tips

Host: TBA

Nov. 12, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Make the Most of Cyber Monday

Host: Beth from DiffractionFiber

Topics covered:

Product tips
Having a sale
Promoting
Customer service and more

For more info check out these videos from DiffractionFiber's last workshop.

Nov. 19, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Customer Service for Your Handmade Business

Host: Stephanie from StephanieFizer

Topics covered:

Great customer service communication
Handling tricky situations with style and grace
More nifty skills to help run your business

For more info on StephanieFizer check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Nov. 24, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Staying Organized in the Holiday Rush

Host: Nicole from Lillyella

Topics covered:

How to prepare your shop
Maintain your sanity and stay on top of your work load
Organization, time management and efficiency

For more info on Lillyella check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Dec. 3, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Top Ten Tips to Bring in Last-Minute Holiday Sales

Host: Corrina from Piddix

Topics covered:

Small changes that make a huge difference
Research on holiday buying trends for 2009
Great places to find last-minute packaging supplies
What to do if and when those sales start pouring in

For more info on Piddix check out this Quit Your Day Job interview.

Dec.10, 2009 at 8 p.m. ET

Sell Local

Host: Kimm of Kimmchi and leader of The NewNew Etsy Team

Topics covered:

Setting up your location for more local sales
Etsy Teams
Utilizing local boutiques and galleries
Finding and selling at local craft shows

For more info about The NewNew, check out this Featured Team article.

Dec. 17, 2009 at 4 p.m. ET

Holiday Recap and Party

Host: Etsy Lab Rats Team

Reflections, reactions, and fun!

Looking for more Holiday Tips? Check out this list of all our Holiday How-To's:

The Seller Handbook | Visit the Virtual Labs | Virtual Labs FAQ

PayPal Workshop in Etsy's Virtual Labs

2009-09-17T10:22:00-05:00

On August 31, 2009, PayPal customer service representatives Deb and Tim hosted a live Virtual Labs chat to answer sellers' questions about PayPal and walk Etsy sellers through some of the features and tools that PayPal offers. If you missed the workshop, you can watch clips below and check out the links that were shared by the PayPal team.

1: Verifying Payment

How do you know you received payment from a buyer? Tim walks you through the multiple ways to find out. You can even use PayPal's download log feature to view your transactions in a spreadsheet or in software like Quicken or Quickbooks. For more information: Downloadable History.

2. Shipping and Seller Protection

Tip: When shipping on your PayPal invoice is incorrect, it's often a problem in your PayPal account settings. If you need to revise the invoice for the customer, go to your PayPal account and click on "request money."
Then, be sure to enable transaction-based override:
    1.    Log in to your account at http://www.paypal.com/.
    2.    Go to My Account > Profile > Shipping calculations (in the Selling Preferences column)
    3.    Select the Shipping Method and click Edit
    4.    Select Yes for "Use the shipping fee in the transaction instead of my calculator's settings" and press Save Changes.
Please note that if you have not set up any Shipping Calculations in PayPal, the default is to override shipping methods per transaction. (You should not need to change anything.)

3. Types of PayPal Accounts

Ever wonder whether you should upgrade to a Premium or Business PayPal account? Tim explains the benefits of each account. Helpful Links: PayPal Account Types & Which account is right for you?

4. Refunds

Want to know how to send a full or partial refund through PayPal? Or how fees work when refunding payment? Watch the video above. Helpful link: How to Send a Refund.

If you have another PayPal question that wasn't answered here you can probably find an answer in one of three ways:

PayPal Help Center
Ask Sarah — an automated PayPal customer service rep
Contact PayPal by phone or email

Want to attend a Virtual Labs workshop? Learn more about our online meeting space here.

Listen to the audio podcast of Deb Popek's last PayPal Virtual Lab here: Seller How-To: PayPal Coming to Etsy Virtual Labs!

Etsy's PayPal FAQs | PayPal Tips for Sellers | Etsy's Seller Handbook

Finding Your Niche with DiffractionFiber

2009-07-24T14:05:00-05:00

DiffractionFiber here! A few weeks ago I hosted a live workshop in Etsy's Virtual Labs on Finding Your Etsy Niche. Thank you to everyone who joined me. For those who couldn't make it, watch the short videos below for a recap! On the left you'll see the live chat during the workshop and on the right you'll see the avatars of the community members who attended.

To start off, I want to talk a little about the Psychology of Shopping. How we make spending decisions and how we choose between products can help you in marketing and creating.

How do buyers choose what to buy? You want people to lust for what you are making. Part 2 covers lust and loyalty.

Remember, advertising to those 10 people is a lot cheaper than to 1,000 people!

Let’s talk about the actual process of making a purchase.
Four steps are required for a purchase to be made:

Customer has a problem, a need or simply a want. Maybe it's to look hip, to give a gift, to organize, to get clean. Whatever it is, there is a need you are filling.
They need to know about you.
They need to like you and your products.
They need to trust you.

I want to wrap this up with talking a bit about instilling loyalty.
For me, there are two important components in instilling loyalty, both with customers and with bloggers who might return and write about you again:

Exceed their expectations.
Give them a reason to return.

For more tips on running a shop that has a unique stamp of individuality, check out this article by TortillaGirl.

The Seller Handbook | Visit the Virtual Labs | Virtual Labs FAQ

Seller How-to: PayPal Coming to Etsy Virtual Labs!

2008-11-13T11:00:00-05:00

blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

UPDATE: Please download the PDF file so you can follow along with this audio podcast of Deb Popek's Paypal Virtual Lab. It's a very thorough resource for sellers who use Paypal. Thanks for listening and thanks to Deb for doing this! Below, we've typed up some highlights from the talk as well as some other tips Deb shared with us while visiting the Etsy Labs.

Web Accept Express (WAX Payment): Paying with a credit card without a PayPal account
Sellers have the option to offer the WAX payment through their PayPal account settings. There are spending limitations for buyers who use WAX. The spending limit follows the specific credit card they selected to use for a period of four months. At the end of the four month period, the limit will be reset to the standard pre-verified (by PayPal) spending limit. The buyer may use a different card, which will have it's own four month period and spending criteria.

PayPal Mobile: Manage your business by phone
* Check balance
* Send and request money
* Buy things from mobile websites

PayPal Shipping Labels: A convenient service for Etsy-sized businesses
* Create postage-paid shipping labels in just minutes
* Pay for shipping and insurance with your PayPal account, with no monthly fees or surcharges
* Create and print a pre-filled packing slip, detailing what you are shipping to your buyer
* Ship internationally with PayPal-provided Customs forms
* Track and confirm the arrival of your shipments with delivery confirmation
* Void your shipping label and get a refund for misprinted labels canceled within 24 hours
* Print multiple U.S. Postal Service labels at once with MultiOrder Shipping

Benefits of using PayPal:
* Free for Buyers
* Fast
* Financial information is kept private
* Payments are deposited instantly
* Seller Protection Policy
* Transfer money from PayPal account to bank accounts
* Fraud prevention protection

Business or Premier Account?
Both accounts offer all of the following services with the Business account offering one additional feature: Multi-user access.

* Send money
* 24-hour fraud surveillance
* Customer Service availability
* eBay Tools
* Merchant Services
* Accept credit or debit cards
* PayPal Debit Card

Fight Phishing Emails:
PayPal is working with Iconix eMail ID, which can reduce phishing by confirming whether or not an email is really from Paypal. It's FREE, and it works with most major email services. More information: http://www.iconix.com/paypal/

PayPal Resources:

Merchant Support
1-888-221-1161

Merchant Tech Services
paypal.com/mts

PayPal Radio
paypal.com/paypalradio

Online Merchant Network
onlinemerchantnetwork.com

PayPal Blog
thepaypalblog.com

[the following was originally published on October 30th, 2008]

Dear Sellers,

We are very excited to announce that PayPal customer service representative Deb Popek will be hosting a live Virtual Lab on November 6, 2008 at 3PM EDT. She is here to answer your questions and walk us through some of the features and tools that PayPal offers.

A few of the topics she plans to cover include:

1. The benefits of using PayPal

2. Survey results

3. Premier/business accounts vs. personal accounts

4. Maximizing your global footprint/new world marketing

5. PayPal account settings and security

6. The many ways to send/receive payments

5. WAX (Web Accept Express) payments, i.e. using a credit card to pay without a PayPal account

6. A review of PayPal resources

This is also a unique opportunity to get your PayPal questions answered directly by an expert. Please bring your queries to the Virtual Labs, or better yet list, them in the comments below!

Newbies Unite!

2008-06-10T11:05:00-05:00

New to Etsy? Just finding your way around? Come on by the Virtual Labs for a Newbie Chat today, June 10, 2008 at 4:30pm EST in the Treehouse. Never been to the Virtual Labs? They are Etsy's online classroom and meeting place — where Etsians and Admins can meet and share knowledge. Check out this past article explaining the Virtual Labs — or just pop by and have a look around! In today's Newbie Chat (which we hold every Tuesday), we'll answer your questions and give you tips and tricks to getting started on the right foot.

Recommended reading: A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Shop on Etsy

To get inspired about today's newbie chat I headed over to Pounce, a beautiful way to shop! When you click on the "Undiscoverd" tab, Pounce lets you check out newbies who have yet to make a sale. I found so many great items! Have a peek! If you like what you see, go on and make that purchase! You'll be making a newbie scream with glee — I can guarentee it!

Etsy Launches the Virtual Labs!

2008-01-21T17:00:00-05:00

We created the Virtual Labs in an effort to bridge the gap between the physical Etsy Labs and the greater Etsy community. The Virtual Labs will allow us (and guest hosts) to chat with you, the community, in real time! The cool thing is – we do all the techie work, you just click into a room and hang out with us virtually.

The Virtual Etsy Labs are a multi-user online space with various rooms. We use the Virtual Labs to connect with our community, host events, put on streaming webcam how-to's, invite special shopping guests showing off their picks, host team meetings, demos, and shop critiques!

This video is a behind-the-scenes look at how one Virtual Lab took place, in this case, with a guest from People StyleWatch.

Virtual Labs Lobby

The homepage of the Virtual Labs is a lobby where you can find information about and join in on upcoming and current workshops.
The Virtual Labs clock runs in your time (that is, the time you're computer's internal clock is set to).
Click on any of the rooms to gain access inside that particular workshop chat room.
To exit the workshop room and return back to the Virtual Labs mapped home, click the mini colored square marked “back” on the top right of the screen.

Chat

To chat in the workshop, just click in chat bar near the bottom left of your screen and type away. Hit enter or click the send button next to the text field.

Your Avatar

You will see your avatar on the screen of the workshop room upon entering, click anywhere on the screen to move your avatar around. If the room has designated squares, click one of the squares to take your seat in the workshop.
To make your avatar spin, bounce, beat, or glow, click the 4 grey circles located underneath the text field bar. When you scroll your mouse over those buttons, they will turn a bright blue.
To raise your hand like you are asking a question, or waving, click the gray circle next to the 4 movement buttons with the hand on it. This will put a raised hand over your avatar in the workshop.
To indicate that you will be right back, click the gray circle next to the raised hand button that is marked “brb.” This will lighten the color of your avatar to indicate that you aren’t currently present, but will reserve your spot in the workshop.

User Avatars

Once inside the workshop room, you can see other users in the room identified by their avatars.
To find out more information about the users in the room, click on their avatars. This will bring up a bubble with the option to click on their shop, profile, send them a conversation, and the option to send them a private message in the current workshop (/msg).

Extras

To change the color of your text, simply click the desired color underneath the text field bar. As you scroll your mouse over the colors, they will appear brighter.
To turn the sound on or off in the workshop room, click the gray button located at the lower right of the screen with the megaphone icon.
To “throw” an item in the workshop, click on your avatar and while holding down the mouse, pull back off your avatar like a slingshot aimed at the direction you’d like the item to be thrown. Let go of your mouse and the item will be released and thrown in the workshop.
To change the image of the item you are throwing, click on the small image with the number next to it located directly under the chat text bar. This will open up a list of all the different items you can choose to throw. Click on any of them and this will become your new item.
To insert an Etsy item picture into the workshop, click on the Item tab above the chat bar. Paste in the item number and hit enter. You will see your item appear in the workshop. Hint: You can find the item number on any item listing under "additional item info" on the far right.

FAQ’s
Why can’t I see or hear the video stream during the workshop?
If you cannot see or hear the video stream while in the workshop, it is possible the webcam hasn’t been turned on yet, or you might need to exit and re-enter the room. If you cannot hear the workshop, make sure your computer isn’t set on mute, and check the volume settings on your computer and speakers.

I exited the room accidentally, how to I get back in?
Just go back to the Virtual Labs Lobby and re-enter the room you were in; the workshop will still be taking place.

What can I do if the room says it’s too full?
If the room has reached the maximum amount of seats, then the room will be full. Check back in a couple minutes in the event someone has left their seat in the room or the maximum seat number has been increased.

Now that you know what all those crazy functions are for, go ahead and jump into one of the Virtual Labs room to test it out for yourself! It's a good idea to practice using the Virtual Labs chat functions while there isn't a workshop taking place, so you can get familiar with the tools and be prepared to participate in the next workshop.

See you there,
Your Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: Help your buyers shop local!

2007-12-19T02:13:00-05:00

Join us Wednesday, December 19th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "marketing" room at 1pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about how to market your shop to buyers that are looking to shop locally...especially those last minute shoppers that are scrambling for the holidays.

Don't foget to bring something to take notes with.

See you there!

Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: Gift Certificates!

2007-12-12T06:04:00-05:00

Join us Wednesday, December 12th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room at 1pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about how to offer gift certificates in your Etsy shop, including how to list them, what you need to send your buyer, and some great ideas for making the actual gift certificates!

Don't foget to bring something to take notes with!

See you there!

Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: Photograph Your Way to The Top!

2007-12-03T13:53:00-05:00

Join us Wednesday the 5th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room at 1pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about your product photos and just how to take the types of photos that we look for when choosing items to feature in the Gift Guides and for the front page of Etsy. Brush up on your skills sooner than later by watching this video tutorial we put together on this very subject!

Don't foget to bring your camera and something to take notes with!

See you there!

Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: Shipping right for the Holidays!

2007-11-19T15:51:00-05:00

Join us Tuesday the 20th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "marketing room" room at 1pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about your different shipping options for the holidays! Did you know the post office will come pick up your packages and that an item can be shipped overnight if your buyer is in a pinch? Don't miss out on a sale, becuase you don't offer the right shipping options! Don't foget to bring something to take notes with! It would be great if you could check out this Storque Shipping How-to first and then we can break it down and take follow-up questions (virtual) face-to-face.

See you there!

Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: It's time to think about gift wrapping!

2007-11-14T05:47:00-05:00

Join us today, Wednesday, November 14th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "marketing room" room, at 4pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about simple and easy ways to make and use gift wrap for the products in your shop. We've been busy in the Labs making and branding our own Etsy line of gift wrap and just can't wait to share all of our ideas with you! Don't forget to bring your notebook and your ideas to share with us and the rest of the workshop!

See you there!

Etsy Labs

P.S. Read up on how to include and charge for gift wrapping in your shop right here!

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: Graphic Design tips and tricks for your Etsy shop!

2007-11-06T10:10:00-05:00

***Update! If you want to make a banner with us today, here are the steps you should follow before the workshop:

Download and install GIMP (it's free!).
Get a nice photo(s) ready to use in your banner.
Download a free font that you like from dafont. (Install it if you know how — if not we'll be covering this in the workshop). ***

Join us Wednesday, November 7th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "marketing room" room at 3pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about simple and easy ways to make graphic designs for your shop. Graphic design skills are useful for making your own banner, avatar, promotional badges that link back to your shop, business cards, post cards, as well as touching up and adding to your photos!

Don't foget to bring something to take notes with!

See you there!

Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: 10 minute marketing, promoting your shop on a shoestring!

2007-10-30T13:04:00-05:00

Join us Wednesday, October 31st in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "marketing room" room at 3pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about simple and easy ways to market and promote your Etsy shop! We will give you some marketing tips you can do in 10 minutes and our best secrets for promoting and advertising your shop for free or next to nothing!

See you there,

Etsy Labs

Seller Help in the Virtual Labs: Taking the best photos for your products!

2007-10-22T15:15:00-05:00

Join us Wednesday, October 24th in the Virtual Labs, specifically the "photo lab" room at 2pm Eastern sharp for the next online Labs workshop!!!

We will be talking all about how to take the best photos that you can for your product line. We all agree that photos could arguably be the most important part of presenting your shop to the public. Come join us and learn how to take better photos, get some tips, advice... And then start taking the best photos you have ever taken in your life and become a selling machine!

Can't make it Wednesday? Check out some of our best tips in this previous article and video all about taking better photos!

See you there,

Etsy Labs